Title: Hollow
Pairing: Elle/Morgan.
Series Information: 4th of Morgan's alone section, but because Elle and Morgan's section need to be read together right now, this kinda is actually... Number 8, I think. (In order, as of now, it goes Bombshells (M), Damaged (E), One of the Other (Both?) Break (E), Unanswered (E), Insatiable (M), Shallow (E), Hollow (M)) Get it? Kinda confusing, I know.
Summary: Morgan knows something happened between Reid and Elle and it affects him more than it should.
Author's note: I wrote this after watching Profiler, Profiled. I know that none of the team at that time doesn't know about what happens to him, but...Elle's not on that team nooow is she? This was really hard to write, but necessary to both Elle and Morgan's stories. Please Review!

He could tell something was different with Reid the moment he saw him. He was exhausted looking, but smiling still. He stood straighter, his fingers more still when they ran through the files. When Elle entered, his ears reddened just a bit before he looked back to his files. Elle didn't react, she had a better poker face than that, but Morgan could see the difference in her too. She was more relaxed, mellow even. The Elle he had grown to know always seemed to have a large weight on her shoulders and now, she seemed to be a lot less worn down, even if it was just for the day. Or would it be, he wondered, looking between the two. Were they in a relationship? Was it just sex? It could never not just be sex, he knew, they were partners - a team. They couldn't just work during the day, protect each other and then go home and spend their nights together. It couldn't work that way. When Reid got up, Morgan followed. He had to ask. He had to know, but Reid played the nightmare card and Derek couldn't just let go. He couldn't call Reid a liar, not that he thought Reid was lying. He knew about nightmares. He had had them all his life and with the job they worked, they had only intensified.

It wasn't because he wanted to test Reid's story that he tells Gideon and Hotch about the nightmares. Although, he thought about it. He regrets it though when Reid talks to him about trust, how telling someone something blows up in his face. It hurt more than it should. He knew how that feels, how it felt to be scared to trust someone because you don't know what's going to happen. It hurt that Reid told someone something once and it really did blow up in his face. He felt bad for the fact that deep inside that maybe he had done it to test Reid, even he knew that even deeper inside he was just trying to help the kid. He wanted to apologize, but instead he trusted Reid with something, tells him something in return, to make up for it, to make sure Reid knows that he can trust him, with anything. It seemed to help too, Reid didn't seem so mad at him again (other than when he tackled Reid and the boy later on.)

When they got home, Elle was waiting for him. She gave him an amused look. She knew that he knew and she knew that it had been driving him crazy. He took a breath and stepped up to her. He was going to have to talk to her about this, it seemed.

Deal Breaker || Hollow

"What are you still doing here?" He asks, casually, walking to her.

"Waiting for you. I thought we could talk."

He moves his hands over his chest, fingers digging into his sleeves. "Talk about what?"

She chuckles. "Don't play cute with me. Let's get out of here." She nods towards the ceiling, giving him a hint the supposes.

He looks up and sees the camera. Garcia, he thinks. He turns back to her and nods. "Okay."

He follows her out, rides with her to a bar and ordering a drink before they sit. She sips hers before cocking an eyebrow.

"So, Derek Morgan's jealous."

He rolls his eyes. "I'm not jealous. Just curious."

She shorts. "Curious? I'm sure a man like you knows exactly what went down."

"No, I know. But Reid?" He jokes, hoping he can keep control of this conversation. Maybe he won't have to share anything.

"You'd be surprised." She mutters and sips her drink. "But you're not really curious about Reid's in-bed behavior, are you? There's something more."

He hates profilers. He sips his own drink before leaning back in the seat. He doesn't speak, but it doesn't matter. She's not done talking.

"You're curious about the fact that Reid and I had sex and yet, we're still friends, we can still get through a case together. You don't think you could do the same. Why is that?"

He just stares at her. He knows she's not done.

"Because you don't think love and sex can be combined, right? 'You don't do that to people you care about.'"

He clenches his jaw when she uses his own words against him. She's not being mean though, he knows. She's as curious about him as he is about her. They're both trying to figure each other out and unlike the last time they conversed about this, she's not trying to agitate him, make him get angry enough to answer. She's being calm, collected, waiting for an answer rather than trying to make one come. He takes a deep breath.

"No."

She looks confused. "No? What does that mean, Derek?"

"I don't think they can be mixed."

"Why? I mean, what about people who are married? I mean, look at Hotch and his wife. They created life …through sex… and they love each other. How does that work if the two can not be mixed?"

He doesn't know. "I don't know." He answers, truthfully. "Sadomasochism?"

She snorts. "Are you serious?" She frowns. "You are." She realizes, her eyes scanning over his face. She's profiling him, he doesn't like it.

"Don't." He shakes his head. "I didn't come here for you to profile me, Elle."

"Then talk to me. You're the one who said we're a family, so let me in. Why do you think sex has to be this painful thing? Were you mo-"

"Don't say it." He interrupts. He stands up. He can't have this conversation. He can't.

"Derek." She follows, grabbing his hand. "It's okay."

He pulls it away, not wanting her to touch him. He doesn't want her to feel sorry for him. He doesn't need her pity. "It is not okay."

He turns to face her, feeling the bar patrons' eyes on them. He lowers his voice. "It is not okay and if you tell anyone, ANYONE, I swear, Elle…I…." He can't threaten her, he can't. He was raised better than that. He is better than that. He takes a breath and looks at her before turning back around and walking out the door.

"Derek." She calls after him, following him.

He doesn't respond. He needs to get out of here and seeing how she was his ride here, he begins to walk back towards the FBI Academy to get his bike.

"Derek." She says, getting in front of him.

"I wasn't saying that it wasn't a big deal. It is a big deal, but I'm… It doesn't change things between us."

He snorts, angrily. It doesn't change things between them? She's the only person in the world other than he and Carl that knows. The other person who other than the two will know. He shakes his head, it changes everything.

She puts her hands on his chest. "Derek, stop! You stubborn asshole, I'm trying to tell you that I understand."

"You understand? You. Understand? What? Because your two years in sex crimes, you understand right? I'm just like all the other people that walked into your life, all fucked up because someone touched them. I'm not like that, Elle. I won't be treated like a victim, do you understand me?"

"You are a victim, Derek."

He snarls at her, moving past her.

"Whatever happened to you wasn't your fault."

His anger makes him turn.

"You don't think I know that? I didn't ask him to touch me, I didn't ask for him…" He pauses, his anger fading into something else. "For him to make me…." His jaw clenches after his emotions choke his words.

She steps towards him. He sees her hesitate before she reaches out. He tenses at her touch, immediately. He doesn't want to be touched right now, but she doesn't move back. She moves forward and wraps her arms around him. He moves to push her back but even now, he can't physically remove her. He can't hurt her.

"Let me go." He tries, but she ignores him and he struggles in her arms before he gives in, wrapping his arms around her. He doesn't cry. He made a promise to never cry over this long ago and he'll keep that promise. He just closes his eyes and concentrates on the warmth. And for the moment, he doesn't feel so empty.